Guilty verdict in 2011 Barnwell slaying

BARNWELL, S.C. -- A Blackville, S.C., man will spend the rest of his life in prison with no chance of parole after being found guilty of killing a friend who had gotten him out of jail.

On Thursday a Barnwell County jury found Sammie Gerrick, 42, guilty of the slaying of Tyrone Anthony Donaldson. The victim’s body was found Aug. 4, 2011, in a wooded area near Blackville. He had been missing two weeks.

Authorities said Gerrick lured his friend into the woods, supposedly to dig up money to repay Donaldson the cash Gerrick borrowed to get out of jail. Gerrick then tied up Donaldson, suffocated him and buried him in a shallow grave. The evidence showed that Gerrick then proceeded to use Donaldson’s ATM card to pay his bills and make purchases.